An open letter to West Virginia House Delegate Brian Kurcaba

Wow, did I just hear this correctly? Did you actually say that babies, even those from rape, are beautiful? In the day and age when the child born from rape are called the rapist baby, when a republican talk show host says these children are evil seed and need to die for the crimes of their fathers, when those conceived in rape receive emails from people saying, “Your mom made the wrong decision, and you should have been aborted.” During this time, you actually publicly stood up and said that these children are beautiful?

Thank you! You are my hero! You see, my mentally ill mother was raped on her way home from work one night. I am a child that is a beautiful, and blessed. A baby who was conceived in rape. Someone must have sent you my picture, did you see my pretty hair, and great smile? Someone must have told you all about beautiful me!

Yes that’s right, all of you who want to criticize House Delegate Brian, go ahead and criticize. It doesn’t change the truth, rape is ugly, but killing me would not have made the memories of the rape disappear from my mother, it would have only ended my life. I am worthy of life!

Sincerely and with much thanks,
Mary Rathke

Rathke is most recently being profiled in the Right to Life of Michigan state wide commercial campaign to let others know that something beautiful can come out of rape, visit RTL. org for more about the compassion project.